In Nursery, we use the programme as a way to support the beginning of our children’s writing journey. We use dance and big movements to develop the children’s fine motor control needed for writing. We start by holding a flipper flapper (small pieces of fabric) in each hand whilst dancing along to music and following the teacher’s instructions. Some of the movements involve moving our arms up and down, side to side, in large circles and in wiggly lines. We then transfer these moves on to paper. The children swap their flipper flappers for two thick pens and repeat the movements whilst making marks on paper.
As the children become more confident with the marks they are making we then begin to use the marks to create a drawing that is related to what we are learning. For example, if we are learning about ‘mini beasts’ we will use our flipper flappers and large pens to practice the skill of drawing a wiggly line before drawing a picture of a wiggly worm. These sessions are great fun for the children but also means that our children become confident mark makers!
Drawing Club is a true adventure. It is based on a perfect mixture of picture books, tales, and animations. The approach involves time together as a whole class, followed by time spent with children exploring their own ideas and creativity.
Intent
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To provide interactive, engaging word play and vocabulary exploration to engage children with the written word.
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To expose children to a wide range of genres of books and traditional tales.
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To provide a wider range of writing opportunities.
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To encourage children to mark-make in a meaningful way.
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To develop children’s creativity and curiosity surrounding stories and language.
Implementation
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Children to continue to develop their writing skills through Drawing Club sessions.
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These sessions will happen daily for 20-minute periods.
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Children will engage in the ‘four moments’, vocabulary, story sharing, modelled drawing and their own drawing.
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They will write a ‘code’ word to unlock something in their drawing.
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Miss Fisher has already had training and fed back to Miss Johns. Miss Johns/Miss Foley to have training in the future.
Impact
Children in Reception at Lent Rise should develop:
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Improved confidence in their writing through increased opportunities.
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Confident speaking skills when talking to peers and adults about their understanding, knowledge and learning through the texts they have read.
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Ambition in their use of spoken vocabulary and confidence in their creativity.
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A greater interest in mark-making and writing opportunities.
